Coupler



Inventor COUPLER A itomeys July 16, 1940.. H. H. McGARRY Filed April 14, 1959 Patented July 16, 940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COUPLER Harry H. McGarry', Bellaire, Ohio Application April 14, 1939, Serial No. 267,895 1 Claim. (Cl. 213-203) This invention relates to couplers especially adapted for mine cars and similar railroad rolling stock, and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which will automatically couple cars when brought together and eliminate the necessity of a person entering between the cars during the coupling and uncoupling operations and being subjected to the danger of injury and is of a construction which is durable, compact, easy to install and repair and may be manufactured at a low cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation illustrating a coupler adapted to adjacent ends of mine cars in which the latter are fragmentarily shown.

Figure 2 is a top plan view partly in section illustrating the coupler and portions of the draw bars of the cars.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View illustrating one portion of the coupler.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the characters A and B indicate fragmentary portions of mine cars of a conventional construction equipped at the ends thereof with draw bars C. The coupler forming the subject matter of this invention is composed of a male device 6 and a female device I, it being understood that each car is equipped with the male and female devices, the male device being located at one end of said car and the female device at the other end of the car, so that when cars are brought into coupling relation the male device will enter the female device and become automatically secured therein.

The male device includes a Wear plate 8 bolted on the draw bar of the car and a pin carrying plate 9 also secured on the draw bar of the car. A portion of the pin carrying plate 9 is offset and disposed over the wear plate 8 and is apertured to receive a pin or bolt H) which also extends through the wear plate 8 and into the draw bar of the car. The bolt or pin extends through a coupling link ll allowing said coupling link to protrude a selected distance beyond the free end of the draw bar. The link is free to rotate on the pin it and also to move vertically under force. A coil spring I2 is mounted on the pin or bolt and bears on the coupling link II to retain the latter seated on the draw bar with a certain amount of tension thereon that will maintain the coupling link against accidental movement.

The female coupling device 1 consists of a housing l3 bolted or otherwise secured on the other draw bar of the car and is equipped at one end with a flared mouth i l providing internal shoulders H5. The flared mouth is for the purpose of facilitating the entrance of the coupling link into said housing when two cars are brought into coupling relation with each other. Located in the housing !8 is a plate It contacting the top wall of the housing, as clearly shown in Figure 4, and bent angularly to engage with the draw bar on which the housing I3 is mounted. This plate l6 forms an abutment for a spring seat ll. A coil spring it engages with the seat and also with a follower block l9 slidable within the housing l3 and on the draw bar to which said housing is applied and is normally urged toward the mouth of the housing and is prevented from moving out of said housing by the internal shoulders 15. The plate l6 and the top walls of the housing [3 are provided with aligned openings to slidably receive a coupling pin 20. Said pin 20 also extends into an opening 2| formed in the draw bar on which the housing I3 is mounted. The spring l8 normally urges the follower block against the internal shoulders l5 and when in this position the block underlies the openings in-the top walls of the housing I3 and the plate It so that the coupling pin 20 willrest on said block. The pin supported in this position is ready to receive the coupling link of the other car and as the link enters the mouth of the housing it engages with the follower block and slides the same against the action of the spring l8 uncovering the openings in the housing l3 and plate I6 and moves from under the pin 20 and allows the latter to gravitate into the opening 2!. As the pin 20 enters the opening 2| it has previously passed through the coupling link thereby bringing about automatic coupling of the cars. Therefore, it will be seen that after the pin 20 has been raised to be supported by the block 19 it is not necessary for a person to enter between cars in order to bring about the coupling of said cars.

Any suitable operating means may be connected to the pin 20 for elevating the same when it is desired to uncouple the cars. This operating means is of conventional construction which will permit a person standing from between said cars to readily raise the pin 20. As soon as the pin 20 is raised and the cars uncoupled the block l9 assumes a position in engagement with the shoulders and supports the pin in an elevated position ready to be coupled. The movement of the block is into engagement with the shoulders will force from the inside of the housing any foreign matter which may have accumulated therein consequently bringing about a self-cleaning of the female device of the coupler.

It is believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the drawing will fully set forth the construction and advantages of this invention to those skilled in the art to which such a device relates, so that further detailed description will not be required.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a coupler, a main draw bar having a pin opening in the front end thereof, an auxiliary draw bar extending along the top of the main draw bar and having an upwardly offset front end spaced above the main draw bar and provided with a pin opening therein, vertically aligned with the first mentioned pin opening, a hood-like housing fitting over and closely engaging said offset front end and attached to said main draw bar to brace said front end, said housing closing the space between said offset front end and main draw bar of the auxiliary draw bar at the sides and top thereof thereby providing an open front coupling chamber for receiving a coupling link inserted therein, a coupling pin vertically slidable through the top of said housing for projection downwardly through said pin openings to couple the link in said chamber to said draw bars, a bumper block slidably mounted in said chamber for movement forwardly and rearwardly into and out of the axis of said openings, respectively, a stop block fixed in the rear of said chamber for limiting movement of said coupling block, a coil spring interposed between said blocks and urging said bumper block forwardly into said axis thereby normally blocking projection of said pin, said bumper block being adapted to be engaged by the coupling link entering the housing and moved rearwardly thereby to allow the projection of the pin into said pin openings, and internal flanges on the sides of said housing for establishing the forward limit of movement of the bumper block.

HARRY H. MCGARRY. 

